This time of year, excess can be all around us. Too often, the holidays quickly become overwhelming and a source of stress instead of something to enjoy. To me, it’s all about getting back to the basics.

It’s about making things easier by removing items off my to-do lists, where appropriate, and staying focused on what really matters.

People are human, and that means mistakes are bound to happen. In fact, few of us get through the workday without making a single error, so should 99.9% be considered good enough? Google the phrase “99.9% is good enough” and see what comes back. For the most part you will uncover the following (at 99.9% quality you can expect):

I completed my college studies at Abilene Christian University which is located in Abilene, Texas. I really like Abilene and look forward to my class reunions. However; for marketing organizations, Abilene is to be avoided when mentioned in the context of the “Abilene Paradox.”

“I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and I’ve never seen it like this.”

I can recall hearing that statement three times over the course of my adult working life. The first time I heard it was very early in my career. My boss at the time had been a part of the Texas oil field service industry for more than 30 years, and the mid-80s oil crash was taking its toll. What once had boomed was now busting, stripper wells that had been profitable were being plugged, and new drilling activity came to a virtual standstill. Prospects in the oil business were looking pretty dim.

International Literacy Day was Sept. 8, but we’ve decided to celebrate and promote it all month long with a series of blog posts based on marketing and business books we’ve recently read. Today’s post comes from DocuStar Marketing Director Martha France and features David J. Schwartz’s “The Magic of Thinking Big.”

We know the role of the marketing leader is changing. In fact, a recent article from CMO (a new media title from IDG Communications) goes so far as to say that, “today’s CMO will be tomorrow’s CEO.” For marketing executives, leadership skills, the ability to inspire your team and influence departments across the organization, have never been more important.

International Literacy Day was Sept. 8, but we’ve decided to celebrate and promote it all month long with a series of blog posts based on marketing and business books we’ve recently read. Today’s featured title is John C. Maxwell’s "Leadership Gold."

Has rational ignorance impacted your organization’s social media activity yet? Rational ignorance is the decision not to become more informed about something because the perceived cost of the additional intelligence — in terms of both effort and expense — is more than the expected return on the knowledge gained. It’s not a condition you’re excited to encounter if you’re trying to create a lifelong learning environment.